The present invention relates to an improvement in a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus.
As a technology related to a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus, there is a technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 10-250342. This technology will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is an estimated diagram schematically illustrating a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 10-250342 and a section of a vehicle in which the vehicular air-conditioning apparatus is disposed. The drawing is termed xe2x80x9cestimated diagramxe2x80x9d because the drawing shows an instrument panel (dashboard) although Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 10-250342 provides a description of an instrument panel but does not provide a drawing thereof.
As shown in FIG. 16, an engine room 134 and a passenger compartment 135 are separated by a dash panel 121. A floor 132 extends below the dash panel 121. A roof 131 is mounted via a front window 130 above the dash panel 121. An instrument panel 122 is disposed from the dash panel 121 toward a passenger compartment-side. The instrument panel 122 is disposed so that a predetermined space is provided between the instrument panel 122 and an occupant (not shown).
A lower portion of the instrument panel 122 has an opening, thereby forming a passenger compartment internal air suction opening 125. A conditioned air blowout opening 124 is formed in an upper portion of the instrument panel 122.
A blower unit 123 and an airconditioner unit (not shown) are disposed inside the instrument panel 122. The blower unit 123 has a blower internal air suction opening 126 at a site in the unit that is located upward and rearward with respect to the vehicle, and has a blower external air suction opening 129 at a site in the unit located upward and forward with respect to the vehicle.
The operation of the above-described technology will be described. Conditioned air via the blower unit 123 and the airconditioner unit (not shown) is blown out of the conditioned air blowout opening 124 into the passenger compartment 135, and flows via below the front window shield 130 and below the roof 131, thereby cooling an upper body of an occupant (not shown). After that, conditioned-air reverses in a rearward portion of the passenger compartment 135, and flows along and above the floor 132 forward with respect to the vehicle, thereby cooling a lower body of the occupant. Conditioned air is drawn into the passenger compartment internal air suction opening 125 formed in a lower portion of the instrument panel 122. Due to the above-described sequential flow of conditioned air, the occupant is cooled.
However, in the above-described technology, conditioned air flows into areas where sensual effect is less (in particular, around the occupant""s feet), the vicinity of the floor 132, and the like. Cooling such areas gives rise to a problem of consuming an unnecessary power.
It is an object of the invention to provide a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that effectively cools an occupant at reduced power consumption.
A first aspect of the invention is a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that is applied to a vehicle in which an engine room and a passenger compartment are separated by a dash panel and that has a conditioned air blowout opening and a passenger compartment internal air suction opening that are opened at a side of the passenger compartment, characterized in that the passenger compartment internal air suction opening is disposed so that conditioned air is circulated mainly around an occupant""s upper body.
A second aspect of the invention is a vehicular air-conditioning apparatus that is applied to a vehicle in which an engine room and a passenger compartment are separated by a dash panel and that has a conditioned air blowout opening and a passenger compartment internal air suction opening that are opened at a side of the passenger compartment, characterized in that the passenger compartment internal air suction opening is provided in an upper portion of an instrument panel.
In the above-described first and second aspects, the conditioned air blowout opening may be provided below the passenger compartment internal air suction opening.
In the above-described aspects, a cover may be mounted on a lower face of an instrument panel.
In the above-described aspects, the passenger compartment internal air suction opening and a blower internal air suction opening may be connected and an intake passage may be shielded by a shield member so as to prevent internal air present in an instrument panel from entering the intake passage.